SourceBestiary 4 pg. 186Lurking rays are a whole family of creatures that infest the dark corners of the world, feeding on the weak and unwary. The infant form, known as the executioner’s hood, is an unnerving but relatively mild threat for experienced adventurers, while its parents, the male lurker above and female trapper, are far more dangerous. All three types of lurking rays are ambush hunters with similar tactics, wrapping themselves thoroughly around their victims and choking the life from their prey before feeding.

Though somewhat similar in appearance to stingrays or manta rays, lurking rays in fact represent their own unique branch of subterranean evolution— or arcane experimentation. Executioner’s hoods are roughly a foot long and weigh 5 pounds, whereas adult lurkers above and trappers can grow to be 15 feet wide, with males weighing 500 pounds and females up to four times that.

Statistics

Ecology

Environment any undergroundOrganization solitaryTreasure standard

Special Abilities

Engulfing Drop (Ex) Though it is a Tiny monster, the hood can drop onto the head of a Medium or smaller creature and make a slam attack as a standard action. If the hood’s attack succeeds, it can immediately attempt a grapple check against the target, and if successful, the executioner’s hood can constrict.

Strangle (Ex) A grappling executioner’s hood entirely covers its opponent’s head with an airtight grip. A creature that is grappled by the hood cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components and must hold its breath (see Suffocation, Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 445), unless it doesn’t speak or breathe through its head. Any attacks against the hood deal half damage to the hood and the other half to the creature that it’s strangling.

Susceptible to Alcohol (Ex) Strong alcohol harms the hood. Every quart poured on it deals 1 point of damage. Four quarts of alcohol incapacitates it and forces it to release a grappled target.

Description

These young rays are shaped roughly like hoods (hence their name), and drag themselves awkwardly about with their thin tentacles. Once an executioner’s hood finds a suitable hunting ground, usually a cavern or dungeon room, it hauls itself up to a high perch and hangs there, disguising itself as an irregular stone formation or a strange bit of masonry on a dungeon wall. When suitable prey walks beneath it, the young lurking ray drops, attempting to engulf the creature’s head and suffocate it, after which the ray can slowly dissolve the meat at its leisure.

Executioner’s hoods are hatched from eggs laid by trappers. They stay with the mother for a month, then leave to hunt for themselves.